<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Trickster in the Park by dreaming_of_fae</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25710565">The Trickster in the Park</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_of_fae/pseuds/dreaming_of_fae'>dreaming_of_fae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>apotelesma [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fae &amp; Fairies, Fae Magic, Implied Manipulation, Magic, Multi, Polyamorous relationship, Swearing, Urban Fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:40:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,548</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25710565</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_of_fae/pseuds/dreaming_of_fae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Aisling stretched up, trying to reach the top shelf. Unfortunately, she was not blessed with the height that some had, and could barely reach the second highest one. She dropped her arms and stared accusingly at the cereal boxes.</p><p>“You’re going to burn a hole through those poor boxes if you keep glaring like that.” Her coworker, Bee, walked into view, their hands in their pockets. “Do you need help?”</p><p>Aisling directed her glare back at Bee, before sighing and nodding.</p><p>“Where do you want me to put them, your highness?” They easily grabbed the offending boxes. Aisling glared at them, a hot feeling creeping up her neck."</p><p>A person's encounter with magic gets a little out of hand.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Polyamorous Relationship - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>apotelesma [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Trickster in the Park</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Aisling stretched up, trying to reach the top shelf. Unfortunately, she was not blessed with the height that some had, and could barely reach the second highest one. She dropped her arms and stared accusingly at the cereal boxes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to burn a hole through those poor boxes if you keep glaring like that.” Her coworker, Bee, walked into view, their hands in their pockets. “Do you need help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling directed her glare back at Bee, before sighing and nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where do you want me to put them, your highness?” They easily grabbed the offending boxes. Aisling glared at them, a hot feeling creeping up her neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just hand them over.” She snapped, regretting it quickly as Bee’s face fell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, yeah, sure. Sorry Aisling, I didn’t mean to upset you.” They handed the boxes over, and walked off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bee, wait.” They turned, expectant. Aisling shuffled her feet and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Bee said with a cheeky grin.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh fuck off, would you?” Aisling rolled her eyes. Bee stuck out their tongue, before walking off, hands in pockets. She sighed, and took the boxes to their proper place, two shelves lower than where they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me, where are the toothbrushes?”</p><p> </p><p>Aisling sighed, and turned, with her customer service smile firmly in place. Back to the grind.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few hours later, as she was getting ready to head back to her apartment, Bee stopped her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you going home?” They were looking at their feet, shuffling around, hands firmly in their pockets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Kei’s making pasta and I don’t want to be late for that.” Aisling sighed, a dreamy smile spreading over her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee looked more nervous at that. “Yeah, Kei, uh.” They were looking anywhere but at Aisling. They took a deep breath. “How’s Kei doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling tilted her head. “Fine? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Aisling’s phone rang. </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Bee, I have to take this.” She was beginning to get concerned about Bee’s health. They seemed to have been gearing up to say something. Aisling just hoped it wasn’t cancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, sure.” Bee sighed, then smiled slightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, princess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked past, hands in pockets. Aisling could hear them muttering to themself, but couldn’t make out the words. She shook her head, bemused. She answered her phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Emil! What’s up?” Aisling could hear him sigh over the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello Ash- yes I’m telling them, shut up- Uh- when are you coming home?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling frowned. “I just finished my shift, I’ll be home in like, 30 minutes? Why, is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up- shut up! I’m telling them- just let me-” There was a thump, and Dahlia’s voice came through the speaker. “Hi Aisling! How was work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Dahlia, is something going on?” Aisling stepped outside of the store, and sat in her car, locking the doors and checking under the seats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! You know Emil’s friend, Milly? Of course you do, she’s coming over for dinner! Emil wants to date her, and I want to meet the girly who stole our Emil’s heart away!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Aisling smiled, leaning back in her seat. “Emil wants to start dating her?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! If we like her. ‘Cuz, ya know, we might not? But I mean if Emil likes her then she must be great! In a minute Emil- stop it! I’m talking to her right- fine!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi again, Emil. I think it’s a great idea.” Aisling heard his sigh of relief. She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great, I have to drive, but you have to tell me everything about her when I get back!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled. “Of course Ash, anything for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Ash sat on the end of his bed, watching Dahlia pace across the floor. He had changed into a binder and a button-up when he got home, and had just finished contouring his face, when Dahlia had hugged him from behind, her nerves getting the better of her.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Milly will like you, you’re very easy to like. And if she doesn’t,” Dahlia tried to interrupt, but he held up a finger. “If she doesn’t, I will drag her to a side room and show her my cutest pictures of you. No one can resist you in a bee costume.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia blushed, and sat down next to Ash, head in hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m being silly, aren’t I.” Her voice was muffled. Ash dropped his head on her shoulder, putting his arm around her waist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want your boyfriend's friend to like you, that’s not being silly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia kissed Ash softly, before jumping and racing out of the room, nearly tripping over the carpet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t break your neck!” He called after them, smiling faintly. He heard a thump from the hall and winced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine! Haven’t taken my iron supplements! But fine!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take your iron!” Kei yelled from the kitchen. “Or I will add spinach to my pasta!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia screeched. “What if Milly doesn’t like spinach? Would you ruin her first impression of you just to make me not fall over?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash stepped into the hall and saw Dahlia, still laying on the floor, hands covering her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you need help with your hair?” Dahlia shot up, and would’ve fallen over, but Ash caught her. She blinked a few times, before nodding aggressively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please? You’re great at it.” Dahlia smiled, and Ash returned a smile back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Anything for my favorite girlfriend.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ash heard the front door open, Dahlia shrieked, finishing up her eyeliner as quickly as possible. Ash sighed, and finished pinning her hair in a beautiful updo. He hugged her gently from behind, and could feel her shoulders relax. He kissed her cheek softly, standing to straighten his shirt. She smiled up at him, before returning to her makeup, carefully applying her favorite lipstick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash stepped out into the hall, and saw Emil hugging a dark haired woman, Milly, who laughed, in what felt like a mocking way to Ash, but he knew he was probably being paranoid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked up to Emil, tapping him twice on the shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this your roommate?” Milly looked Ash up and down, and he fought the urge to wrap his arms around himself. “She’s cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh. That’s one of my partners, Ash. He’s a man right now.” Emil’s eyes darted between the two, brow furrowed. Ash cleared his throat, sticking out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Ash. You must be Milly?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly stared at his hand for a second. “What do you mean right now? And what do you mean one of your partners?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash looked at Emil, confused. He looked just as befuddled as Ash felt, and frowned, opening and closing his mouth a couple times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m… polyamorous? I’ve told you that, and Ash, Ash is genderfluid? You knew that also, I told you ages ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly frowned at that. “Uh, no you didn’t? I think I would’ve remembered you being Mormon”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my Divine! Hi! You’re Milly, right? I’m Dahlia! Kei’s in the kitchen making his ridiculously good pasta-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many wives do you have, you freak?” Milly’s voice was getting louder and higher, and her face reddened. She looked furious. She grabbed her purse from where she’d dropped it on the entry table, raising it in front of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is something wrong?” Kei walked into the room, his blue polka dot apron still on. Milly shrieked. She was shaking uncontrollably, and Ash noticed that the whites of her eyes were tinged a pale purple. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rushed forward, just as she collapsed. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash sat on the floor next to the couch, where Dahlia was sitting, Milly’s head in her lap, hands lightly touching her temples. Dahlia was attempting to work out what had happened to Milly, causing such an odd change. Emil was curled up in an armchair, face hidden in the pillow he was holding. Kei was in the kitchen making tea and cookies. “To calm her nerves” He had told them, but Ash knew it was to comfort him instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia’s eyes snapped open, her irises, normally a honeyed brown, pale purple. She was gasping for air and wincing in pain. Ash grabbed her hands, yelping in pain. They were ice cold. He pulled a blanket off of the couch, and wrapped her as tight as he could. Kei had returned with his tea, and held the steaming mug to the back of her hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few long seconds, Dahlia blinked several times, the purple fading.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s really cold in here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash and Kei shared a look. As Kei was about to respond, Milly sat up. She rubbed at her eyes, and looked around, confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where am I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you remember?” Ash asked softly, sitting back down. He tried to make himself look as non-threatening as possible, keeping his hands in clear view of her. Milly was frowning, and Ash noticed that the whites of her eyes were no longer purple. He felt his body relax, relieved at the apparent success Dahlia had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” Milly bit her lip. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to remember. “I was walking through the park on the way to Emil’s apartment, when I saw this person sitting in a tree. I asked them if they needed help, and they responded, but I don’t know what they said. Like, I knew they were speaking English, but I didn’t know the words. Then I got really dizzy, so I sat down. I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly trailed off, rubbing at her eyes again. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know what happened then, one moment I was sitting on a bench, next I was laying on a couch. And you didn’t answer my question earlier, where am I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash frowned, and glanced at Emil. He was still curled tightly around his pillow, and Ash guessed he was asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re at Emil’s apartment, we’re his…” He paused, trying to work out if she would freak out again. Before he could continue, Milly interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re his partners, right?” She smiled brightly, and Ash could see how Emil fell for her. “I’m sorry the evening got off to such a weird start, forgive me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly stuck out her hand. Ash, smiling back at her, took it. For a moment Ash felt something odd, like an icy cold wind chilling his bones. Then it was gone, and he shook his head a couple times, trying to convince himself he imagined it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly faltered at that, and tentatively spoke again. “Do you… not forgive me then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip again, brows furrowing. Ash shook his head again, more aggressively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! No, I mean, I forgive you! I was just…” Shaking his head because he could have sworn that Milly was so cold that she shouldn’t be alive? “I had a dizzy spell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a bad excuse and they both knew it. Milly opened her mouth to speak again, but Dahlia interrupted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We all forgive you! We’ve been super excited to meet you! Emil has told us so much about you already.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly smiled brightly at Dahlia, and for a moment, Ash could’ve sworn that she had too many, too sharp teeth. Then the moment was over, and the smile was normal again. Ash made eye contact with Dahlia, and she tilted her head at him. He focused hard on the strange things he noticed, not breaking eye contact even to blink. She startled, and blinked a few times before smiling tightly at Milly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“And we would love to get to know you! But, I’m not feeling too well, so maybe another night?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly’s smile faltered at that, and Ash saw a flash of anger in her eyes, before she sighed and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been a terrible guest haven’t I? I’m sorry, I’ll leave right now. Say hi to Emil for me.” She stood, swaying back and forth, and shutting her eyes tightly. She grabbed Dahlia’s shoulder to right herself, and Ash saw Dahlia gasp at the contact. They looked at each other again, and Dahlia nodded subtly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I drive you home?” Kei asked from the other side of the couch. Milly shook her head, smiling sadly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei raised an eyebrow. “If you’re sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly nodded once, before stepping out to the hall. Ash heard the door shut, and he slumped against the couch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is she gone?” Emil said, revealing his face for the first time in half an hour.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were you awake the entire time?” Ash stared at Emil, anger building in him. He had the decency to look ashamed, but it wasn’t enough for Ash. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I woke up when she told you what happened. I didn’t want her to see me, I don’t want to see her again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia’s eyes softened, and she nodded, smiling. Ash was not so moved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you made us deal with her, with the woman </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>invited into our house. What do you even know about her? She could be a serial killer, or worse, fae!” Ash was furious. He could see Dahlia reaching for him, trying to calm him down, but it served only to make him more upset. He was right to be angry, Emil had invited a woman who he knew nothing about into their wards. If she was fae, she could return at any time, especially considering none of them had asked her point blank to leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ash, drink this.” Kei shoved a mug into his hands. Ash drank. Kei took the mug and replaced it with a cookie. Ash ate it. “Feeling better?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m still mad.” He said, crossing his arms. But his vision had cleared, and he was breathing evenly again. Kei smiled at him</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“You should be mad. I shouldn’t have pretended to sleep, I shouldn’t have invited her over without learning more about her. She seemed so nice before.” Emil turned his dark, beseeching gaze to Ash. “But I can’t change the past. I’ll do better in the future though, I won’t invite work friends to our house-”</p><p> </p><p>“Emil, stop.” Dahlia interrupted. She stood, blanket discarded. “There’s nothing wrong with you inviting friends over, and Milly is a nice person!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash stared at her, utterly perplexed. Emil and Kei seemed to think the same way, because they both opened their mouths to speak. She shushed them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I was reading her, I saw something. Her core is a pure purple, almost opaque in its color. But there were scars marring it, and I think those were what caused her to act like that tonight. For whatever reason, her magic is attacking itself. I couldn’t figure it out before you woke me-” Kei tried to interrupt again, but she held up a finger. “Which I’m glad you did! Don’t get me wrong, if you had let me continue reading her, I would’ve probably gotten injured. But I think that under the damage, she is a genuine and nice person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, Dahlia nodded her head once, and sat back down, rewrapping herself in a blanket. Ash sighed, and turned to Emil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Emil, I shouldn’t have gotten so angry at you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Emil smiled. “You don’t need to apologize, Ash. You were right to get mad.”</p><p> </p><p>Ash rolled his eyes. “You are not going to let me say sorry, are you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope.” Emil said with a wry smile. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, this has been a very exciting evening, and I’m tired. Let’s go to bed!” Dahlia said, jumping from the couch and then falling into Ash’s back. He rolled his eyes at Emil, before picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good night Kei, Emil.” A chorus of goodnights followed him, as he walked into Dahlia’s room, and got ready to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were floating. The air around them was ice cold. They turned their head, searching for something, but all they were met with was nothing. They tried to yell, to say anything, but no words could escape their lips. Faintly, they heard someone. The voice was yelling at them, but they couldn’t make out the words. They tried to find whoever it was, but could see no one. They were alone. They were-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-Wake up!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Dahlia had slapped them. Her cheeks were wet, and her eyes were glassy from tears. Aisling sat up, concerned. “Are you alright? Why are you crying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia glared at them for a moment, though the effect was diminished by her sniffling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You weren’t waking up, you were so cold I thought you- I thought you were-” She started sobbing. Aisling realized they were shivering, but ignored it in favor of hugging Dahlia. They sat like that for a while, Dahlia curled in Aisling’s lap, Aisling stroking her back. Eventually, she sat up, and scooted off their lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” She held their hands, lightly stroking the backs with her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had a bad dream.” Aisling shrugged. Dahlia frowned at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve seen you have bad dreams before, they’re nothing like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, it felt normal to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to…” Dahlia wiggled her hands. “Magic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling leaned back against the headboard. They hated the feeling of intrusion Dahlia’s magic had, but they needed to know what happened. For Dahlia’s peace of mind, if nothing else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay?” Her eyebrows went up. Aisling nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I’ll let you do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Dahlia clapped, and straddled Aisling. They grabbed her hips as she tilted dangerously, and righted her. She placed her hands on Aisling’s temples, and shut her eyes.</p><p> </p><p><span>It felt like a needle, not painful, just invasive. Something that’s not supposed to be in the body coming in. They could feel a wash of concern pouring through them, and rolled their eyes. </span>Dahlia “read” someone, she was leaving herself vulnerable, and whoever was being “read” could feel her emotions just as clearly as she could feel theirs. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They felt fear. It crashed over them like a wave, and they began to shake. Dahlia was crying and shaking, and Aisling grabbed her hands gently, and pulled them off their head. She blinked several times, and threw her arms around Aisling, holding them as tightly as she could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“So… am I going to die?” They said, only half joking. Aisling choked out a strangled laugh. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling frowned at her. “That’s ominous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia sniffed. “You lead an ominous life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“I… really don’t</p><p> </p><p>Dahlia shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, nothing’s wrong.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a terrible liar.” Aisling hugged her again. “If something’s wrong-”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t fix it. I don’t know anyone who can fix it, and you’re better off not knowing. There’s nothing I can do, so what’s the point worrying you needlessly?”</p><p> </p><p>Aisling sighed. “If it was lethal you’d tell me, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Dahlia nodded.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright then. I trust you.” They smiled at her. “Come on, let’s get breakfast.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After a stressful breakfast, full of questions by the other two, Aisling left for work. They dropped their bag in the break room, and put their hair in a ponytail. As they were about to get to work, Bee walked in.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heya prince.” Aisling turned, and Bee raised their eyebrows. “Rough night?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weird, that’s for sure. Emil invited a girl ‘round, and she got kinda creepy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee tilted their head. “Creepy how?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She forgot that Emil’s poly, she didn’t know what genderfluid meant, but Emil had already told her that. Dahlia read her, and she said her magic is fighting itself? Which, like, I didn’t know that could happen. And her skin was freezing, also. Less interesting, but still.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throughout Aisling’s description of Milly, Bee’s face hardened. Aisling trailed off, wondering if they said something wrong. Bee shook their head a couple times. They stuck their hands in their pockets, and frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s her name?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling tilted their head. “Milly, why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They shook their head again. “Just wondering. Come on, don’t want to get the boss mad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throughout the day, Aisling noticed Bee acting strangely. Anytime they tried to ask, however, Bee would shake their head. Aisling worried that they were going to try to confront Milly somehow, but that didn’t make much sense. They didn’t have enough to find her. Maybe they were worried their own magic might start acting strangely? As Aisling was collecting their bag, getting ready to go home, Bee walked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you leaving?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s movie night.” Aisling said with a smile. Bee shuffled their feet, and Aisling was reminded of last night, and wondered if that was what had been bothering them. “Is something wrong? You’ve been acting off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Bee took a deep breath, and looked Aisling in the eye. For a long moment, they said nothing. They opened their mouth several times, but no words came out. Finally, they sighed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s nothing. Have a nice night, princey.” They waved, before grabbing their bag and heading to the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bee, wait.” They stopped. Bee looked over their shoulder at them, and raised an eyebrow expectantly. “If something was wrong, you’d tell me. Right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee sighed, then a small smile formed on their face. “Of course, my prince. I have no reason to lie to you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They bowed, and walked out of the room. Aisling was left standing, their face bright red. They grabbed their water bottle and drank nearly half of it, before they had finally calmed down enough to leave. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>When Aisling got home, she changed into a light purple blouse and a skirt. She decided she wanted to take a walk before dinner, and left after telling Kei where she was going. She went to the park by their apartment, and started walking around. She didn’t know why she wanted to go, she had never taken a walk in this park before, but something about it just felt… right. It was pleasant, lots of open grass, and quite a few benches underneath trees. She stopped.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bee?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee was eating a sandwich, on the highest branch of a tree. When Aisling spoke, they started, and fell. Aisling ran forward to catch them, but Bee never hit the ground. The tree branch had swung around, and caught them mid fall. Other than a grunt on impact, Bee didn’t react. Aisling stood, mouth ajar, and watched as the branch lowered Bee gently to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Aisling.” They said, slightly out of breath. “Fancy seeing you here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling blinked. “Sorry, do you live in a tree?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee barked out a startled laugh. “No! No, I was just-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eating dinner in a tree.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee nodded, sheepish. Aisling blinked several more times, trying to wrap her head around what had happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have an apartment.” Bee said, rubbing their neck. Aisling noticed their hands were golden, in sharp contrast with their dark skin. They saw her looking, and stuffed their hands back in their pockets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have magic.” It wasn’t a question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Bee answered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you turn into a bee?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their eyebrows went up. “Can I… turn into a bee?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” Aisling felt a lot less sure of the question, now that it had left her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am a bee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling gasped, before seeing Bee’s shit-eating grin. “You dick! I thought you were serious!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am serious! I am Bee, that’s what I am!” They had attracted a few glares from passers by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You keep talking in circles, and I’m going to start thinking you’re Fae.” She said, giggling. Her giggles trailed off, as she noticed that Bee had gone completely silent. “You’re not, though. Are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee pointedly did not make eye contact. “Would it matter to you if I was?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling paused. She had never imagined what it would be like if Bee was Fae. But now, she didn’t have to imagine, it had been true the entire time. She shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing’s changed. I’ve just learned more about you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee’s entire body relaxed at that. They smiled, and Aisling felt her cheeks get warm again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that why you were acting strange?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee blinked a few times, and rubbed at their neck. “Not exactly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling tilted her head, confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It means…” Bee sighed. They were avoiding Aisling’s eyes again, and she felt the earlier worry rise back up. “You’re polyamorous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling was taken aback. She opened her mouth to say… something, anything, but Bee barreled on.<br/>
</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, that’s not a problem! Opposite of a problem really, I just, I mean, you’re really incredible?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling stared at Bee, her cheeks turning a brighter red. She took a moment to collect herself, and spoke slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Do you… want to- I mean, if you’d like we could, maybe, have dinner?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry!” Bee blurted out. Then they blinked several times. “Wait, this didn’t ruin our friendship?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, if you count a date as ruin, then yeah, it did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t! I mean, I’d love to have dinner?” They smiled shyly, and Aisling’s heart melted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh shit, it’s movie night!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee sighed, smile still in place. “Alright, some other night then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling smiled, and waved goodbye as she ran back to the apartment.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were all sitting on their couch, with Dahlia laid across the other three. It was Kei’s turn to pick, and as always, he picked the worst movie he could find. Dahlia kept throwing popcorn at the screen, and Emil was critiquing every single flaw. Aisling wasn’t paying attention. She was thinking about Bee, and about everything she had learned about them. Something about it wasn’t clicking, and she couldn’t figure out what. She sighed, and leaned back, shutting her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you feeling okay Ash?” Emil asked. Aisling sighed, then smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Just learned a few new things about my coworker.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia sat up abruptly, causing Emil to grunt as the full weight of Dahlia hit his legs. All three turned to look at Aisling, and she blushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean hot coworker Bee?” Dahlia clapped her hands a few times, beaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Bee.” Aisling mumbled, not looking at the others. Dahlia jumped from her seat and started bouncing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’d you learn? Do they have a crush on you? Are they secretly like a hot mobster supervillain?” The words came out in a rush, leaving Aisling bewildered.<br/>
</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh- yeah. No. Not a supervillain mobster, but uh…” Aisling stopped herself. She couldn’t tell them about Bee’s true nature. It wasn’t her secret to tell. “Yeah, they do have a crush on me, actually.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia squealed. Emil paused the movie, him and Kei turning to look at her. Aisling blushed, rubbing her neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should invite them over, I’d love to meet them.” Emil smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure? I don’t really want another Milly situation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei and Dahlia shared a long look, Dahlia flapping her hands at Kei, while he made several odd faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do… you guys want to tell me something?” Aisling rubbed her neck, unsure of what they were doing.  They froze, and Dahlia chuckled awkwardly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no! Not really?” Dahlia and Kei had equally wide smiles. They both looked like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on with them?” Aisling turned to Emil, who shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They had a chat earlier- in private.” He wiggled his eyebrows on the last part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia gasped, clutching her hand to her chest. “How dare you sully my good name, sir! My father shall want to speak with you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Kei laughed, before waving his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, Aisling, really.” </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alrighty then, I trust you.” She smiled at them. Emil grabbed the remote, and the movie started playing again. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, Aisling didn’t have work. She dressed up anyway, in a sweet, yellow blouse and a skirt. She left the house early in the morning, hoping to avoid having to explain herself to her partners.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling stopped and grabbed two cups of tea, before heading to the park. She strolled aimlessly for a while, stopping every time she saw yellow. After bothering yet another person, she sighed and sat down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looking for someone, princess?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling jumped. Bee was standing by the bench, a smile on their face, and hands in their pockets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Bee, I uh-” She looked down at her lap, where the two teas had spilt. “Brought you tea?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee’s eyes widened, and they grabbed the cups. They pulled a bottle of water from somewhere, and poured it gently on Aisling’s lap. They started patting the stained area, cleaning up the tea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t want you to get burns.” They smiled, looking deep into her eyes. She flushed, turning away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bee’s brow furrow, before their eyes widened again, and they jumped back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I mean, I meant to but- I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling frowned, tilting her head. “I’m not sure what you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Bee stared at her for a second. “I just rubbed my hands on your crotch, that didn’t bother you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! I- You-” She laughed nervously, her cheeks flushing brighter red. At this point she looked more like a tomato than a person. “I hadn’t really realized, I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee let out a breathy laugh, before collapsing into the seat next to her. “You are something else, you know that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that a good thing?” Aisling raised an eyebrow. Bee laughed again, relaxing back into the hard wood of the bench.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It can be, if you like.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize you were Fae before, with how much you speak in riddles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled at them, hoping that she hadn’t crossed an unspoken line. Bee smiled back, at ease with her, for what felt like the first time in a long while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat together, in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then, Bee began fidgeting, opening and closing their mouth, before sighing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… spoke to Milly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling startled at that, frowning in confusion. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I ran into her, here in the park.” They rubbed their neck, not making eye contact. “She seemed… off. I’d met her before, before she visited your apartment, and she was strange then, but this was-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were the person in the tree speaking gibberish?” Aisling stopped, and thought for a second. “You know what, that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Person in the- gibberish? I don’t speak gibberish!” Bee clasped their hand to their chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, continue your story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee narrowed their eyes at her. “Tell me what you meant first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s not much to tell.” Aisling rolled her eyes. “Milly said that she met a person that was sitting in a tree and speaking English, but she couldn’t understand it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speaking English and someone not being able to understand it is different from speaking gibberish!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling frowned at Bee. “You are taking this awfully personally.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I- I uh-” They stopped, and sighed. “I spent a long time learning English, and to say that I wasn’t speaking it well, it made me upset. Sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize, I should’ve been more considerate. Please, continue with your eloquent story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They smiled at each other, before Bee rubbed their neck and started again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was acting weird. Her scleras were a light purple, and her magic was acting strange. The air around her was… bending, for lack of a better word. Like when there’s hot steam, the air in and around it is distorted. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t respond, she was- she was frightened. I don’t think she could understand me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you call the police?” Aisling gently grabbed Bee’s hand, which had started shaking. Bee snorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“The police come, they see a Fae and a woman with strange magic, they’d arrest me if I’m lucky, and shoot me if I’m not.” They smiled gently, reaching out a hand to stroke the fear away from Aisling’s face. “I know you can trust the police, but I can’t. They aren’t fair to, well, the fair folk.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I never realized. What can I do? Can I help?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee laughed, quiet and bitter. “If I’m in trouble, don’t call the cops. Simple as that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling went silent. She stared down at her lap, deep in thought. Bee gently wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her in close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know now, alright? That’s all that matters, you can’t change the past.” They hesitated, and Aisling looked up at them, tears forming in her eyes. “I should- You should go back to your apartment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling blinked several tears away. “You didn’t finish your story?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some other time, princess. I think we went on enough tangents today.” They smiled softly down at her. Aisling shakily offered a smile back. Bee stood, holding out a hand for her to take. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Until next time, your highness.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling curtsied. “Until next time.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling flopped down on her bed with a sigh. Her head had begun to ache on the way home, and she couldn’t handle being in a group. She rubbed at her eyes, and fumbled for the lamp switch with her other hand. Finally, she was in the blissful dark, with nothing but her thoughts for company.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>She tried to focus on Bee, on what she had learned about Milly, about the police, but she found her mind drifting, not able to think about anything. Her thoughts jumbled together, and she couldn’t parse together a single one that made sense. Just words, colliding into each other and forming long strings of words that couldn’t be counted as sentences, because sentences have structure, and her mind was losing its structure rapidly. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She screwed her eyes shut, trying to find sense, to find reason, but could find only a confused mess of words. She curled into herself, weeping quietly without realizing it. Near frantic, she clawed at her face, trying to jumpstart her brain into action, into reason. Her fingernails scraped down her face, leaving thin streaks of blood in their paths.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ash!” Someone grabbed her shoulders, she rolled away, groaning in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ash, please, you’re hurting yourself, let me help.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling blinked, the chaos fading from her mind, leaving her confused, sweating, and bleeding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kei? What happened?” He was kneeling on the bed behind her, crying softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re bleeding, hold on.” Kei left the room. Moments later, he returned with a wet washcloth. He gently dabbed at Aisling’s wounds, wiping away her blood. He dropped the cloth on the side table, and held his arms out. She leaned into him, exhausted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening to me, Kei? Dahlia knows, and I think she told you… please, I need to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei sighed, pulling his arms tighter around her. “Dahlia did tell me, and she told me not to tell you. But you need to know, and I can’t lie to you. Just… I’ll tell you in the morning. Get some sleep first, you look exhausted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aisling moved in closer to him, a quiet yawn escaping her. “Promise to tell me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were alone. After so long spent being surrounded by people, the solitude was almost blissful. The city was quiet, and they could see each star in the sky. It was beautiful. They wandered through the streets of the city, trying to find someone, anyone, to share the beauty with. There was no one. They were alone. They sat in the park, underneath a familiar tree. They looked up, and there they were, the sitter on the tree. They leapt down, and waved, before turning and strolling away hands in pockets.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They tried to follow, but the ground rose up in front of them, blocking their path. They screamed in frustration, and the wall that had formed, shattered. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shards of concrete and dirt flew out and around them, forming a tornado, trapping them. They gasped for air, struggling to breath as the whirlwind got tighter and tighter. They reached up, through the flying debris, trying to find something to grab onto-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>They screamed, and fell off the bed. Kei’s face peeked over the side. “Sorry ‘bout that, are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Peachy.” Ash grumbled out, shuffling upright. Kei grabbed their hand and pulled them up.</p><p> </p><p>“Pronouns?”</p><p> </p><p>“They, please, it’s too early for gender."</p><p> </p><p>Kei chuckled, pulling them back into his arms. “So, I guess I need to tell you what’s happening to you, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“That would be appreciated, yes.”</p><p> </p><p>Kei sighed, the movement rocking them back and forth. They shook their head, trying to stay awake. The sleep they had gotten, probably more than 12 hours, felt non-existent. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have magic. You didn’t have magic before, but you do know. The shock of it adding to your system caused your weird dream the other night, your episode yesterday, and probably whatever caused you to be so jumpy today. It won’t hurt you, you just have no control over it. It’s really rare to have magic develop when you’re past puberty, so you’ll have issues finding resources to deal with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash pulled themself out his arms, and stared at him. He blinked back, the picture of innocence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“You’re joking.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kei shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not joking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>A couple of hours and a gender later, Ash was pacing across the floor. His head had begun to hurt again, and he sat down, to avoid another episode. That was apparently caused by his magic. Magic. Ash. It didn’t make sense, people were born with magic, or born mundane, that was how it worked. Ash was mundane, not magic. But now he’s magic, not mundane. He fell backwards across his bed, his head landing in Kei’s lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you done pacing? You were making me dizzy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash glared half-heartedly at him. He smiled back. Ash gave in, and smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… Magic, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did Dahlia say that she couldn’t fix it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei sighed, smile fading. “She wasn’t sure that you’d want to keep it. And uh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>He trailed off, frowning</p><p> </p><p>“And?” Ash poked him. “Don’t leave me hanging.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your magic isn’t… limited. It’s quite expansive, and from what Dahlia could tell, chaotic and wild.”</p><p> </p><p>Ash groaned. “Great. I get magic, one of the best things to have in this city, and now I’m told it’s going to be impossible to control. Why couldn’t I have something simple, like… wards?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wards?” Kei laughed. “Wards are extremely difficult to create. There’s a reason there’s only two wardmasters in the city.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah fuck, really? At least it’s consistently awful, apparently my shit is chaotic! This is great.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we’ll help you, okay? My magic might not be powerful, but it’s still… something?” Kei half-heartedly smiled</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Wonderful. Just wonderful. This day just keeps getting better.” Ash sat up, an idea forming in his mind. He grabbed his phone, and started his master plan.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh… Ash? What’re you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Starting on step one of my master plan.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kei stared blankly at him. “...Right.”<br/>
</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, it’s been lovely talking to you Kei, but I’ve got an appointment to keep!” Ash jumped from his bed, pulling on his sneakers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash was already out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee was sitting on the bench, two cups of tea in a drink carrier next to them. They looked up, eyes wide, as Ash sprinted towards them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay? Your text didn’t make a lot of sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have magic. I didn’t have any before, but now I do and you’re the most magical person I know, please help.” The words came out in a rush. Ash took a deep breath, and smiled shakily at Bee. They nodded slowly, holding out a cup of tea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should sit down, I have a lot of questions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>A lot of questions later, Bee was shaking their head.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are aware that Fae magic is different from human magic, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t human magic come from Fae?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee shook their head. “That’s a myth, humans got magic themselves, no help from us required. I’m sorry, Ash, but I’m not the right person to talk to</span>
</p><p> </p><p>They paused, searching for a way to tell him what they needed to. </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do know a human who has similar magic to yours, though hers is less… wild.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash clapped his hands, leaning toward them. “Great! Who?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Milly.” Bee sighed at Ash’s stony expression. “She’s not bad, okay? When we met in the park, I was practicing a kind of magic that I shouldn’t have been practicing in public, and she got caught in the crossfire. It’s my fault her magic was acting so strangely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash blinked several times. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, yeah, I heard you, but- what? You’re the one who fucked her up? Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee raised their hands placatingly. “It wasn’t on purpose, I swear. Her magic is odd, and it interacted with mine in a way I didn’t expect. I tried to fix it, but she ran off before I could. I couldn’t find her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… okay. I trust you. I’ll talk to her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bee smiled, taking a sip from their tea, then making a face. “It’s cold, gross.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, iced tea is great!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“First of all, no, second of all, this isn’t iced tea, it’s lukewarm tea. It’s gross.”</p><p> </p><p>Ash gasped. “How dare you insult a Southern delicacy! You offend my honor, my good Bee.”</p><p> </p><p>“My apologies, your highness, but you’re objectively wrong for liking iced tea.”</p><p> </p><p>They laughed together, content to let all the drama of the past few days sit ignored.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, dinner on Tuesday? I know a good Indian place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Seven work for you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you then.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash shut the door behind him with a giggle. He looked up, and was met with the stares of his partners, all standing in the tiny entry hall, mouths open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where were you? We were worried sick! You just- you just ran off!” Dahlia’s eyes were brimming with tears threatening to spill over. Ash winced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I was just talking to Bee, they know someone who can help me. Since none of you want to do it.” The last part was cruel, and Ash regretted it immediately. Emil frowned, reaching for his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ash-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no- I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean that, I didn’t mean to rush off, this is all so much, and I don’t-” Ash could feel tears forming. He angrily wiped them away and turned away. “Dahlia, you should’ve told me as soon as you knew. It wasn’t right- it’s not dangerous, but it could’ve been, it was going to be, if Kei hadn’t been there-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Ash, I just- I wanted to protect you. It wasn’t right of me, and I’m sorry, forgive me?” Dahlia hugged Ash from behind, resting her head on his back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgive you.” Ash turned, hugging her tightly. He looked up, making eye contact with Emil. “Can you give me Milly’s number?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dahlia pulled away, confused. “What?”<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Sorry, I was talking to Emil.” Ash smiled at Dahlia, before looking back up at Emil. “Can you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emil stuttered for a moment, caught off guard. “I mean- if you want it? Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“The person who can help me? It’s Milly. Her magic is apparently similar to mine, so-”</p><p> </p><p>“No! No, something’s not right with her, you can’t-” Dahlia grabbed Ash’s hands, pleading.</p><p> </p><p>“Bee told me what was wrong with her, she should be fine now.” Ash didn’t know that, but he wasn’t going to tell Dahlia that. She wouldn’t let him meet with Milly, and he wouldn’t be able to control his magic without Milly. He needed her help.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dahlia, we should trust Ash’s decision. Here, I’ll send her number to you right now.” Emil and Ash smiled at each other. He pulled out his phone, watching Emil as he sent the number. He copied it, and sent a message to Milly. The response was quick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Milly:</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>why?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Ash:</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i need your help, please</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Milly:</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>fine, but dahlia cant come</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Ash:</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>she wasnt going to</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finalized a time to meet, tomorrow at two, and Ash put his phone away, smiling at Emil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, for trusting me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emil smiled back. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, Ash sat on the bench, waiting for Milly to arrive. She was late, and Ash was beginning to worry. Just as he was about to message her, asking if she was okay, a hand tapped his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hey… Ash?” Milly was wearing a light purple dress and black sneakers. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed something quickly, before dropping into the seat next to him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Ash grinned. Milly rolled her eyes, leaning back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… magic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ash nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Magic. You’ll help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Milly sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I can. I’m barely able to access my own right now, but I’ll try my best. It’s dangerous, not knowing how to control something so powerful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’ve been told. If you’re not able to-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can do it.” Milly looked him up and down, analyzing him. He felt exposed by her gaze, and fought the urge to cover himself. She grinned suddenly, shark-like and aggressive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would never turn down the chance to help someone so powerful.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>